The Strategic Requirements for an Enterprise Business Architecture Framework by SMEs

Abstract

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have inherent resource and capability constraints. Competing in a dynamic, collaborative, global environment, SMEs need a strategic management tool to help develop the requisite capabilities, structure, and integrate and leverage the underlying IT resources in line with the dynamic market and environmental conditions. We argue that the SME's combined internal and external environmental challenges call for the support of an Enterprise Business Architecture (EBA) frameworka new strategic tool to facilitate the SME development and management of resources and to capitalize on the environment opportunities. From an extensive exploratory literature review, this paper highlights the limitations of existing IT architectural frameworks for SMEs and explicates the underlying drivers of SME requirements for an alternative business-oriented architectural EBA framework as well as the in-built SME barriers to using EBA. The SMEs need for and associated inherent barriers of EBA are also confirmed by industry expert's feedback through a preliminary semi-structured online survey. Index Terms-enterprise business architecture, small and medium enterprises, collaborative network organizations.

Success Factors of SMEs: Empirical Study Guided by Dynamic Capabilities and Resources-Based View

“…In turn, cases 5 and 8 have a strategy focused on the owner-manager through all the internal and external surroundings of the companies. This aspect is highlighted by Dehbokry & Chew [45] and García-Pérez et al Thus, the arguments of Ejdys [46] are corroborated by the fact that everyone has a strategy (e.g., financial control of the company) in order to ensure the company's sustainability and competitive advantage; short-term strategic planning is carried out by the entrepreneur/manager who does not resort to the external help of consultants [25].…”

“…The strategy provides advantages and assists in driving the company's success, involving internal factors (e.g., competition, productivity, among others) and external factors (environment), in which companies can opt for aggressive, conservative, defensive and aggressive strategies [44,45]. In the case of SMEs, decision-making is concentrated on the owner/manager, which implies that the choice of strategy is related to the owner/manager's perception of the business [44].…”

Evaluating and Improving the Visualisation of CHOOSE, an Enterprise Architecture Approach for SMEs

“…Although EA is a fairly mature domain in large enterprises, the adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is lagging behind due to the complexity involved in using the current EA approaches [4]. SMEs often lack the expertise required to implement these approaches and do not have the financial resources to hire consultants [5,6]. In order to tackle this issue, Bernaert et al have developed a new approach called CHOOSE, which is adapted to the needs of the target group (section 2.1) [2].…”